AME Reports: Between the Lines

Disclaimer: The report presented by the author is a compilation of data regarding the said event and does not necessarily reflect the views of the author or organization.

Brimming with cosplayers, anime and manga hobbyists, otaku culture enthusiasts, photographers, and fandom geeks, Cosplay Mania is produced and organized by Cosplay.ph annually. This year’s Cosplay Mania was held on September 30- October 1.

Lining up as early as 7 AM on the first day, con-goers were already outside SMX Convention Center. There were two lines outside the center: one for those who already have tickets, and one for those who are going to buy on that day.

Once a person enters the center after getting his/her bags inspected, he/she must line up once again for the escalator. On the second floor, there is another line for getting stamped and putting the bracelet on.

After all the long lines and hours of waiting, those who paid for meet & greet (M&G) sessions still must line up once again. Lines for the different guests for the M&G were not properly organized. Congoers were confused as to which line they should be in.

Japanese Anime Music (JAM), was supposed to start at 6 PM, but as early as 5 PM (or even earlier), there was already a line.

During JAM, there was quite a long interval for each performer.

Post-con statuses were all over Facebook after Day 1. People were complaining about how the convention this year was filled with lines, and it took them hours to finally get inside the function rooms. Some barely had any chance to roam around because even though they went early, they arrived late for what they paid for because of the long hours waiting in lines.

Some fans of Hikarin had an impression that she became sad for a disorganized M&G event. But Hikarin was able to clarify that she was worried for her fans:

Hikarin’s personal message to Alice’s postgrabe im happy to see this! If it wasnt for her I wouldnt patiently wait my…

Fortunately, complaints and rant posts reached the organizers, and they tried to make Day 2 better.

Organizers gave more manpower to handle Gold and VIP ticket holders.

Sadly, the lines outside SMX got worse for Silver ticket holders: congoers waited for about 3-4 hours to get their ticket bracelets, possibly due to the sheer number of people and lack of staff to handle the situation.

Despite all the difficulties both the organizers and congoers experienced, the convention was still a blast. Meeting and seeing famous people (in the cosplay and anime community) around the con made their fans happy. Meeting friends who have the same hobbies and interests distracted each other from the long waits.